Coupling.



E, A.- RUNDLF.'

COUPLING.

Vnylylmylou man nnmn. 20. w13. Y.

' Patented .Mm 2% 19115.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. A

ERIK ANTON RUNDLF, 0F STOCKSUND, SWEDEN.

commits.

Liaaoea.

Specification ofiLetters Patent. Patented 11111622, 19115,.

Application led March 20, 1913. Serial No. 755,791.v

To all who/m, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERIK i'N'roN RUND- Lr, a subject of the Kingof Sweden, rey siding at Stocksund, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented new and useful Improvements in Couplings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof. l

My invention relates to improvements in couplings for transmitting rotary motion between a driving and a driven member of the type in which rollers or balls fare used in such inannerthat they become clamped or pressed between one of the members and the oblique surfaces of a sleeve arranged in suitable relation to both the members, the arrangement being such that the rollers will become automatically clamped `or automatically loosened and thus the coupling closed or opened at the will lof the operator.

The object of my invention is to accom- I plish a coupling of this type which shall be efficient and reliable in its operation. and simple of construction and which shall be suitable for To gain this object my invention comprises the combination of a driving member,- a driven member, a sleeve having la plurality of oblique faces arranged to have a limited motion in either direction between said 'members and a plurality of. rollersf arranged to be pressed between said faces and one of the membersand to transmit motion be-f tween the members.

The invention is further cl'iaracterized'v thereby that the oblique surfaces of the sleeve are located symmetrically in relation to each other, and thereby that the sleeve is arranged to have'a limited motion which is independent of the' motion of either one of the said members.

My invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which-i4- Figure 1 is a longitudinal :sectional view of the coupling, Fig. 2 is' a sectional end i view, Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate modified details of the coupling. Fig. 6 shows a detail of a modification of the coupling, and Fig. 7 shows a sectional end View of the same modification. Fig. 8 .is an outside view of this coupling, and Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view thereof.

All the couplings shown on? the-drawings rotation in either direction.

are suitable for i the propeller shaft of a motor driven boat.

Referring to the drawings in detail 1 l represents the shaft of the motor, and 2 the propeller shaft. The part 3 of the motor shaft against which the rollers 4 press is preferably of enlarged diameter. The end of the propeller shaft 2 which belongs to the coupling is formed with a sleeve 5 inclosing the track 3 and provided with slots 6, in which the rollers 4 are placed loosely.

In order to retain the two shafts 1 and 2 in a straight line the shaft llmay suitably be formed with a journal 7 which has a sliding fit in a central cavity formed at the end of the shaft 2. This arrangementv is of course not necessary if theends of the two shafts are journaled in sufficiently steadyv louter. ends of the rollers 11 touch against the beveled inside face of a ring 14 which is slidably mounted upon the shaft l, being that the ring 14 rotates withthe shaft 1.

` The ring 14 is arranged to be moved in axial direction upon the shaft 1 by means of a lever or spring (not shown).` u The coupling operates in they following manner: The motor shaft 1 is supposed to rotate in the direction of the arrow y16 and theA ring 14 in the same direction-according 'to the arrow 17 andwiththe same speed. 1f the ring 14 is moved to the left (Fig. 1) its; beveled inside face will press against the rollers 11 so that vthey will be brought into firm contact "with the outside of the --sleeve 9 at the .same time as theywill( be brought into rotation by the ring 14. The

sleeve 9 will then be moved by the rollers 11j in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation ofthe ring 14 so that the rollers'4 .become firmly .pressed between the track 3 andthe sleeve 9. The rollers 4 must then partake inthe rotation of the shaft 1 and splined thereto by means of a key 15 so will carry along the sleeve 5, that is to say the shafts 1 and 2 are coupled together. If the ring 14 be moved back to the right (Fig. 1') the -action of the rollers 1l against the sleeve 9 will cease. The sleeve 9 will then be turned backward, through a small but definite distance, partly by reason of the shape of its oblique surface, and partly by reason of the fact that the sleeve will spring to some extent when liberated from the pressure of the rollers 11. The rollers 4 are-now no longer clamped between the shaft 1 and the sleeve 9 and have no further action on the shaft 2 which will now stop its rotation. In order to insure that the sleeve 9 will become loosened when so desired one or several springs may be applied between the sleeve 9 and the disk 13 in the same manner as isfhereinafter described in connection with Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive.

If the direction of rotation of themotor shaft is reversed, which can be done directly vao bv the motor, the coupling4 will act inthe .same manner, since the oblique surfaces 10 which act on the rollers are shaped symmet-l rically so that their action upon the rollers will be the same for rotation in either direction.

In order to secure the best efficiency .from the coupling` it is important that all the rollers 4 shalloccu'py uniform positions rel atively to the parts 3, 9 and 5. The coperation between the rollers'and the 'said parts will be satisfactory as long as the shafts .l and 2 are located ina straight line. If however, by reason `of wear ofthe journal 7 or for some other reason, the correct relative position of the two shafts is disturbed or altered, then the ring 14 will occupy an eccentric position relatively to the rollers 11, so that when the-coupling is to be closed, the

rollersll will cause also the sleeve 9 to occupy an eccentric position .resulting in a non uniform dlstributlon of pressure between the rollers 4 and the surfaces 10. In

order that the ring 14 shall not in such manner force the sleeve 9 out of its central position, the ring 14 may preferably, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6,'bemade somewhat spring'y or yielding for instance by means ofcorrugations, so that .the ring 14 will yield to the resistance of an eccentrically located roller 11, the eccentric dislocation being thus transferred to said ring and having no hurtful influence upon the centeringof the sleeve 9. It is also important that the rollers 11 shall press in a uniform manner against the sleeve 9. In order that the position of the rollers 11 may be adjusted in relation to the sleeve 9, I prefer to fasten their studs 12 to the disk 13 by means of eccentrics 18 secured to the disk by means of nuts 19 as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Upon loosening the nuts 19 the eccentrics 18 may be freely turned in the disk 13, and thus the rollers adjusted in relation to the sleeve 9. In accordance with Figs. 4 and 5 a similar arrangement may also be used for adjusting the position of the rollers 4. The rollers 4 make contact against the eccentrics 20 which are fastened to the disk 13, as shown in Fig. 4, so that by turning the studs 20 the position of the rollers 4 may be adjusted.

In the coupling'above described the ring 14 acts upon the outer ends of the rollers 11 and as a result the rollers will not touch with their whole length against the sleeve 9. In the modified-coupling shown in Figs. (3 9 a uniform contact between the sleeve and the whole length of a roller 11 is obtained by enlarging the diameter of the central part ofthe roller. The ring 14 is arranged to press against this central part of the roller, and thus the pressure of the roller against the sleeve 9 will be uniform along the Whole length of the roller. As shown in Fig. 6 the sleeve 9 is provided with a groove 22 to accommodate the enlarged central part 21 of the roller 411, which central part is pressed by the ring 14.

Another advantage of this construction is that by reason of the unequal diameters of the roller 11 the sleeve 9 will rotate with a smaller circumferential speed than the ring 14. rl`he closing of the coupling will therefore be effected in a manner more free from shocks than if the sleeve and the ring rotateV with the same speed. The arrangement shown in Figs. G to 9 will also act so as to bring about such a result. To the disk 13 which is joined to shaft 2 and supports the rollers 11 is lfastened one or several spiral springs 23. Each spiral springl 23 is attached at one end to a stud .24 fastened in the disk 13, and its other straight end is placed between two studs 25 fastened to `Vthe sleeve 9.

The relative positions of the studs 24 and 25 are so adjusted that when the springis not bent as shown in Fig.- 8, then it will hold the sleeve 9 inl such position (see Fig. 7) that each roller 4 will be located at the central part of the obliquesurface 10 formed upon the inside of the sleeve 9. When the coupling is open and the sleeve 9 is loose so that it can be moved by the'spring 9.3, the rollers and the sleeve will occupy the aforesaid position. lVhen the coupling is to be closed `the sleeve 9 need not move farther than half the length of the oblique sur* face 10. The spring 23 will also give the advantage that the sleeve 9 shall not for instance by vibrations in the machinery be turned accidentally so as to come unduly into contact with the rollers 4. An accidental or undesired closing of the coupling is thus prevented. A

The device illustrated in Figs. G to 9 inclusive operates substantially in thesame manner as the device shown in Figs, l'and pressed between thel faces` and one o f the members,

v1,144,067' :ist

of a driving member,

a plurality of other rollers resting against- A sleeve, vand a rin-g attached to one of the members' and arranged to press against the latter said rollers.

2. The combination Iof a driving member, a driven member, a sleeve having a plurality of oblique faces arranged' to have a limited motion in either direction between said'mem bers, a plurality of rollers arranged to be pressed between the faces and one of the members, a plurality of other rollers resting against the v .outside circumference of the sleeve, and a against the latter said rollers.

3. The combination of a drivingj member, a `driven member, a sleeve having a lplurality of oblique faces arranged to have a limited motionv in either direction between said members, a plurality of lrollers arranged to be pressed between the faces and -one of the members, a plurality of eccentric studs fastened to one of the members, a roller mounted loosely on each stud and resting against the outside circumference, of the sleeve, and a ring attached to the other member and arranged to press the latter said rollers against the sleeve. e

4. The combination of a driving,` member, a driven member, a sleeve having a plurality of oblique faces arranged to have a limited motion in either direction between said members, a plurality of rollers mounted on one of the members and arranged to be pressed i between the faces and the other member, a plurality of studs fastened tothe first memlthe. i

a sleeve having a pluralityv the outside circumference f the' i memb springy yielding ring attached to one of the members and arranged to press the central part v fastened to the sleeve,

ber, a roller mounted loosely upon each stud,

end of the roller, and a ring attached to the second said member Vand arranged' to press against-` the central part of said roller and force' the roller against the sleeve.

5. rllhe combination a driven member, of obliquefaces arranged to have a limited motion 1n either direction between the members, a' plurality of rollers mounted on -one of the members and arranged to b e pressed between the faces and the other member, a

lurality of studs fastened to the first membei', a roller mounted loosely upon each stud, the central part of said roller being of greater diameter than either end of the central part of said roller being of v greater diameter than the diameter at either of a driving member, v, a sleeve having a plurality roller, a ring attachedl to the second said member and arranged to press' against the central part of said roller, so ,as to force the roller against the sleeve, -and a spring fastened between the sleeve and the first said er. l I y 6. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, a sleeve having a plurality, of obli ue faces arranged to have alimited motion 1n either direction between the members, a plurality of rollers mounted on one of the members and arranged to be pressed between the faces and the other member, a plurality of studs fastened tothe first member, a roller mounted loosely upon each stud, A

of said roller being of greater diameter than either end of the roller, member and arranged to press againstthe central part of said roller, rollers against the sleeve, two studs (25) and a spiral spring fastenedwith one end to th k iirst said member, the other end of the spring being placed between the studs (25),

ERIK ANTON RUNDLF,

Witnesses:

GRETA PRIM, l Koun DAHLQUIST.

so as to force the a ring attached to the second said 

